Child of Destiny

”VICTORY!”

Owen couldn’t help but shout in triumph, raising both arms into the air after finally defeating Heartless Dream with his finishing move.

He was particularly thrilled by the outcome, especially since his final attack had been somewhat of a gamble.

He hadn’t been entirely certain that his plan would work, but he had little choice. It was the only strategy he could think of that might allow him to win under those circumstances.

He hadn’t even been sure whether the aftershocks of his attack would deal enough damage to deplete the remainder of Heartless Dream’s HP Bar.

Fortunately, Heartless Dream had deliberately kept his Health Points low to maintain the additional Stat Boosts granted by his Desert Barbarian Race.

Had Heartless Dream been in a relatively healthier state, Owen’s attack might not have dealt enough damage to finish him off.

However, because his opponent had intentionally maintained a low HP Bar, the devastating shockwaves generated by Owen’s attack had inflicted enough damage to bring the match to an end.

It had been a risky gamble, but it had worked, nonetheless.

”Tsk! Tsk! That was close~!” Shin clicked his tongue as he watched Owen celebrate like a fool.

He immediately beckoned Owen to return before the latter could embarrass himself any further.

”Hah! It worked exactly as planned!” Owen declared smugly as he returned to Shin and the others.

He then turned toward Samael, who was standing nearby. ”Did you see that, brat? That’s how you build suspense for the audience! You make everyone believe you’re about to lose before suddenly turning the tables!”

”It’s all about making things more dramatic and exciting!” he added, praising himself despite having relied on such a risky gamble to secure his victory.

Samael could only nod obediently, afraid that Owen might beat him up if he pointed out just how close the latter had come to losing.

Pak!

Shin, on the other hand, could no longer tolerate Owen’s antics and promptly smacked the back of his head.

”Enough of that! You barely managed to win through such a risky gamble, yet you still have the gall to boast about it?”

”Are you not ashamed!?” Shin scolded, leaving Owen with no choice but to flash an awkward, sheepish smile.

After dealing with the overexcited Dark Knight, Shin turned toward Felicia. ”It’s Miss Felicia’s turn now.”

He gave her a reassuring nod before adding, ”There’s no need to put too much pressure on yourself. After all, this competition is nothing more than a friendly match to entertain both sides.”

”Unfortunately...” Felix suddenly chimed in. ”...My sister is far too competitive to take this lightly.”

He glanced at Felicia before turning toward the opposing side. ”I’m sure she’ll give it everything she’s got and do her best to defeat that Crimson Soul guy.”

Felicia shot her twin a sharp glare but didn’t bother responding, mainly because she couldn’t deny the truth behind his words.

Shin could only laugh awkwardly at the exchange before shifting his gaze toward the opposing side, where their next opponent was waiting.

...

In the meantime, Heartless Dream had just been revived by one of their Priests and returned to his team’s side.

”Tsk! I slipped up at the most crucial moment,” he clicked his tongue as he took his place beside Crimson Soul.

Crimson Soul, however, merely shook his head. ”It’s more than that. That guy has really grown quite a lot.”

”Moreover...” He paused for a moment, glancing at Owen in the distance before continuing. ”Haven’t you noticed that he didn’t use any of his signature Skills during your match? I’m talking about those powerful moves he usually unleashes when facing formidable opponents.”

Heartless Dream frowned upon hearing this. ”Are you telling me he was holding back throughout the entire battle?”

Crimson Soul shook his head, clarifying his point. ”It’s not necessarily that he’s holding back. It’s more likely that he can’t use those signature Skills and abilities for some reason.”

Heartless Dream immediately understood what his partner was implying. ”You mean they might have just come out of another intense battle before facing us, leaving most of their powerful Skills and special abilities on cooldown?”

”That’s only my suspicion,” Crimson Soul replied with a shrug. ”But it’s the most plausible explanation I can think of.”

Heartless Dream nodded before glancing at the System notification he had received immediately after his defeat.

It was an update to his hidden quest, informing him that he needed to invite Owen to participate in an expedition.

”My hidden quest has just been updated,” he said, his expression growing heavy. ”It seems I need to invite Owen to join the expedition.”

Crimson Soul’s expression darkened upon hearing this.

They had already put quite a few cards on the table to convince the Empyrean Talons to agree to their request for this competition, including a mysterious key, a special item, and a hidden quest.

However, it now seemed that even Heartless Dream’s personal quest required assistance from the Empyrean Talons.

The thought made them both somewhat uncomfortable.

”It feels like we’re being robbed in broad daylight, and we can’t do anything about it,” Crimson Soul sighed, realizing that they might end up giving more than they gained from this arrangement.

”Which is another reason you need to win the next round,” Heartless Dream replied with a nod, still feeling somewhat unsettled by the unexpected development.

At that moment, they noticed Felicia stepping out from the opposing side, signaling that she would be their next combatant.

”It seems the Battle God has no intention of participating in this little competition,” Heartless Dream remarked with a frown, feeling that their opponents were looking down on them.

Crimson Soul, however, seemed to have anticipated this and remained composed. ”That’s only natural. Given his current status, he’s bound to be selective about whom he fights.”

He paused before continuing. ”Only the true monsters standing at the pinnacle of the game can draw him out and challenge him to a serious battle.”

With that, Crimson Soul stepped forward.

He reached behind his back and grasped the hilts of the twin sabers hanging from his back before swiftly drawing both weapons.

Shing! Shing!

The sharp metallic ringing echoed across the battlefield, immediately drawing the attention of the spectators.

As the final combatant on their side, Crimson Soul had no intention of underestimating his opponent, especially when they knew so little about her actual strength.

This was the deciding match, and he intended to go all out.

He would remind everyone present why he had earned the Godlike Title of God of the Twin Blades.

...

Meanwhile, Felicia immediately noticed the intimidating aura her opponent was releasing. However, she remained calm as she reached into her inventory and retrieved her weapon.

Shing!

A strange, heavy sword with a double-edged, wavy blade appeared in her hand.

It was a Kris Sword, her signature weapon, which she regularly used both in the game and in the real world.

When Shin and the others saw her draw the sword instead of the magic scepter she used during the previous raid, they immediately realized that she was taking this match seriously.

”Is she planning to use her own version of Divine Sound Art?” Shin muttered, narrowing his eyes slightly.

The current environment was heavily unfavorable to Felicia. The dry, arid atmosphere of the Sandspine Waste greatly suppressed the natural attributes of someone belonging to the Siren Race.

Shin couldn’t help but worry that Felicia might be unable to showcase her true potential under these conditions.

However, if she intended to rely on the martial arts she had learned from the Divine Sound Sect, then the situation might be different from what he had initially feared.

”This is going to be much more interesting~!” Shin chuckled beneath his mask, curious to see what other surprises a prodigy of the Divine Sound Sect had in store for them.

...

Felicia stared intently at her opponent, doing her best to suppress the intense battle hunger beginning to stir within her.

Since she and her twin brother had spent most of their time in the Lesser Kingdom of Juron, a small and relatively remote kingdom, they had rarely encountered opponents who stood at the level of god-level experts.

In fact, as far as that small kingdom was concerned, the twins had long regarded themselves as standing near the pinnacle of its experts.

However, the recent incidents in the kingdom had opened her eyes to the true nature of the game, especially after she encountered several god-level experts involved in those events.

There was Dragulia, the Arch Heretic of the Demonic Church of Terror.

Then there was Leviathan, the Envy Devil of the Pandemonium Troupe, who was also associated with the Demonic Church of Envy.

There was also Sea God Poseidon of the Titan Guild.

And, of course, there were the monstrous members of the Empyrean Talons.

She had even experienced a brief encounter with the Lich God Immortal.

Each encounter had exposed her to a world of strength and talent far beyond what she had previously imagined.

More importantly, those encounters had awakened something within her—a desire to reveal the talents she had kept hidden and prove herself against truly formidable opponents.

’I may be one of the keepers of the world’s historical records, but I am also a prodigy of our sect.’

And now, she finally had the opportunity to measure herself against the greatest talents of the current era and experience their strength firsthand.

With that thought, Felicia raised her Kris Sword to the side, holding its blade parallel to the ground.

......